Somewhere in the first year to 18 months of a cat’s development, cat owners will face the dreaded decision: to declaw or not to declaw? And a look behind the history and reasoning for this procedure does not make the question less agonizing.

Celebrated animal writer Roger Caras wrote in his bestselling book Cats of Thistle Hill that declawing is an acceptable alternative to euthanization, since it gives the cat owner a viable choice when faced with the prospect of allowing a cat to tear away at the furniture for the whole of its life. Opponents of the procedure have condemned this theory, arguing that there are more than two alternatives and that the declawing option is a lengthy and traumatic experience for the cat.Declawing, or onychectomy, required a 36-hour veterinary hospital stay and involves the removal of the terminal bone of the cat’s toe (opponents have correctly pointed out the equivalence of this removal to the amputation of human fingers at the first knuckle joint). In exchange for the assurance that the cat will sharpen its now-nonexistent claws in the domicile, the cat sustains an impairment of balance, loss of the use of scent glands in the front paws, cessation of all climbing abilities and a gradual weakening of leg muscles, with all effects accelerated in indoor-only cats.

Moreover, the procedure will usually confine an outdoor cat to permanent indoor living because it renders them defenseless to threats from aggressive animals. However, the reasoning behind the declawing process is not limited to cat-owner convenience. A cat’s paw can be affected by a variety of inflammatory conditions and infections, prompting a declawing process in order to save the animals’ life.

Opponents of the procedure are in favour of declawing only in these severe cases of illness.Studies conducted on declawed cats have revealed additional negative symptoms to the aftermath of the declawing procedure. In almost all test cases, cats were hyper-aware of their situation and made steps to compensate for the loss, often leading to aggressive episodes. Several cats searched out any exposed metal in the house and continually sharpened their teeth, followed by more frequent biting episodes, while others continued to venture outside to become involved in confrontations resulting in injury. One positive sign was that several cats were observed to adjust their own stalking and hunting procedures for such common prey as birds and mice, pointing up their resilience following injury and trauma.Declawing opponents have had a strong effect on legislation around the world: today the procedure is illegal or tightly regulated in much of Western Europe, including the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands and Finland, as well as most of Australasia. It remains prevalent only in North America, where approximately 25% of household cats undergo the procedure. The opponent lobby continues to grow in the US, and as a result many municipalities have begun to outlaw the procedure.If you’re a cat owner struggling with a declawing dilemma, you may wish to invest on scratching posts and place them strategically around the house until you make a final decision. 

 The Canine Good Citizen Test is a certification program run by the American Kennel Club. These are a collection of exercises. Their purpose is to evaluate whether a dog is well behaved and has good manners in public.  The test consists of ten challenges that a dog may pass or fail.

 All ten must be passed in order for the dog to be certified as a Good Canine Citizen.  Here is a summary of the challenges presented by the AKC’s Good Citizen Canine Test. 

Test One: Accepting A Friendly Stranger The dog must allow a friendly stranger to approach and speak with its owner without showing fear aggression. The dog must show no sign of resentment or shyness.  

Test Two: Sitting Politely for Petting The dog must sit quietly and allow a stranger to pet it. The dog must show no sign of resentment or shyness. 

Test Three: Appearance & Grooming This practical test shows that the dog will accept being handled by a stranger, such as a veterinarian, groomer, or friend of the owner. A stranger inspects the dog, then combs and brushes it and lightly examines the ears and each front foot. T

est Four: Out For A Walk This test determines whether the dog walks politely on a leash. The owner must be in control and able to walk the dog without the dog pulling on the leash. There must be several turns and halts. The dog does not have to be line with the handler and does not have to sit when the handler stops. He must however act as the handler’s companion. 

Test Five: Walking Through A Crowd This test demonstrates that the dog can walk politely around strange people in public places without pulling on the leash. The dog may show some interest in strangers, without being over exuberant, shy or resentful. 

Test Six: Sit & Down On Command/Staying In Place This test demonstrates that the dog has training. The dog must be able to sit and lie down on command and be able to stay for a specified amount of time.  

Test Seven: Coming When Called This test also requires some obedience training and demonstrates that the dog will come when called by the handler.

Test Eight: Reaction to Another Dog This test is designed to determine if the dog is well behaved around other dogs. Two handlers and their dogs approach each other from a distance, stop, shake hands, and exchange pleasantries, and continue. The dogs should show no more than casual interest in each other.

 Test Nine: Reaction to Distractions This test demonstrates that the dog can cope with common distracting sights and sounds, such as a person hammering a nail into wood or a jogger running in front of the dog. The dog should not panic, try to run away, show aggressiveness or bark. 

Test 10: Supervised Separation This is another test that requires some obedience training. It is designed to see if the dog will accept being left briefly with a stranger. The dog must remain with the stranger for three minutes  without pacing, panicking or trying to escape. Source: American Kennel Club Check your local chapter of the American Kennel Club to find out how you can get your own dog certified as a Good Canine Citizen.

Brokers are considered to be the least reliable source of dog breeds simply because they make a profit by “selling you the dog.” Often you often just trust the word of the broker who of course makes a profit if he can persuade you to buy. If you buy a dog through a broker you often don’t have a chance to view it or the circumstances in which it has been born and bred. This makes it pretty easy for you to be sold an animal that has been abused, is malnourished or that has a birth defect due to being inbred. 

Many so called alpha-dogs are aggressive because they have been inbred. 

Usually these dog breed brokers are found selling online or selling in the classifieds sections of the newspaper. Some are scrupulous and respectable and others treat animals like livestock that is fed as cheaply as possible and the shipped to a customers.

As in any business there are good brokers and bad brokers but to stay in the business many brokers sometimes have to resort to less than ethical practices just to make a living. The drawback of buying a puppy from a broker is that you are usually unable to talk to the breeder or human foster parents beforehand. In other words, this puppy could come from anywhere.

Many new owners of puppies bought from brokers have no idea of the puppy’s temperament or appearance until it is delivered to them either by air or car. If you don’t have the opportunity to check out the breeder, then you are not a well-informed buyer.  It is amazing however, how well you can be swayed into purchasing a puppy by looking at a photograph that resembles the puppy that the broker is trying to seller by being emailed claims about a puppy’s temperament or pedigree that you would like to believe are true. Brokers get their puppies from several sources, including commercial breeders that may or may not be licensed by the Department of Agriculture or similar regulatory bodies. Keep in mind that in many countries private breeders are not required to be licensed.  It just simply – a very corrupt business.  Period. Sometimes puppy brokers buy litters (or get for them for free) for unsuspecting people who advertise their own litter for sale or adoption in local newspapers.  They then pass off these dogs as purebred for a higher price to you. If you are making a lifetime commitment to a puppy, then he or she is worth a trip to visit in person. Surely a pet that may be with you sixteen years or is worth more than the convenience of being ordered up over the phone like a pizza. 

Also visiting the pet in person gives you an idea in general if it will be easy to train and how socialized it is. You can get an idea of the dog’s personality and hear personal stories from the breeder about the dog, its history and the history of its parents.

A dog will not make connections between one action or the other unless you state the obvious. The reason you have to make things obvious and repeat your commands so much is because dogs are not very intuitive or logical. Their brain works by association or reward.  

If you toss a ball and say fetch many dogs will chase the ball and then not bring it back to you. They crouch over it and start gnawing it.  It doesn’t occur to them to bring the ball right back to you (unless the dog is exceedingly willing to please). You need to “tell” through a verbal or visual command that you want that ball brought back.  This takes some training. For example, if the dog grabs the ball into his mouth and takes a step towards you, you say ‘Good boy!’  or “Good girl!” If he drops the ball or runs away from you, you give the command again. Then, when he takes even one step towards you, you praise him.

This is how the dog gradually realizes what you want him to do.  Praise the dog repeatedly for doing even the littlest thing right and keep a pocket full of treats. However don’t use a treat that is so appealing that it makes your dog drop the ball. 

This thought process, which is called chaining, is a process of association that unfortunately, with some dogs can take some patience before he makes the relationship between the command and the praise. Once the dog has made this kind of “connection’ between events, he will soon start to repeat them just to be lavished with your approval. Sometimes there is just no way to accelerate this learning process for a dog. It really does depend on the dog’s breed and the dog’s personality type.  All you can do is be patient. 

Most dogs will see training as a game at first. It is recommended that you give both your dog and yourself time to learn about each other. You can’t go too slowly, and if you go too quickly you’ll put the dog off the entire idea of learning.  If you do encounter problems, go back a stage or leave it for a few days and try again. Never show anger and keep it fun - this is a way of spending quality time together after all!  You simply have to be patient and take it step by step; otherwise you risk confusing your pet. 

Another key is to make sure you are gratifying the dog with a reward he or she will appreciate. Some dogs love treats, some dogs don’t care about food that much but may prefer to play with their favorite toy for a while as a reward. Others will simply be satisfied with approval and a nice pet on the head. The height of successful dog training however, is when you can get your pet to do what you say without any physical reward and just use visual or verbal cues.